AhlulBayt News Agency

source : Press TV
Friday

20 April 2012

5:26:00 PM
310005

Egyptian protesters to rally against ruling junta

Egypt’s opposition activists have called for a major rally in the capital Cairo to protest against the ruling junta's management of the country and its delay in transferring power to a civilian government.

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - The activists called on their compatriots to join the Friday rally and take to the streets in a million-man march in Cairo. The rally has been organized by several activist groups and political parties.

The protest rally comes as the Muslim Brotherhood's disqualified presidential candidate says Egypt's ruling military council has no intention to transfer real power to a civilian government.

"The military council, in my opinion, is not serious about the handover of power," Khairat al-Shater said during a press conference in Cairo on April 18.

He also accused the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces of "looking for a figure that it can control from behind the curtains."

The remarks came after Egypt's electoral commission -- which is made up of Mubarak-era judges -- turned down appeals filed by Shater and nine other candidates disqualified from running in the May presidential election.

Shater described the electoral commission's decision to ban him from the upcoming election as a "crime against the Egyptian people."

The top Muslim Brotherhood official also accused the ruling junta of making efforts to fix the poll by eliminating the candidates from Islamic parties.

He said the supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood would come together in Cairo's Tahrir Square on Friday to defend the goals of their revolution, noting "This Friday is the real handover of power."

Egyptian activists and political groups are increasingly critical of the military rulers' management of Egypt's transitional period, which they had promised would last for only six months.

They have also widely criticized the head of the ruling military council, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, for his reluctance to implement sweeping changes and dismantle elements of the former regime.

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